Patents by Inventor Mark G. Vervaeke

Mark G. Vervaeke has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 5947546
    Abstract: An apparatus for attaching a soft top to a motor vehicle includes a retainer member for engaging a channel located in a structural element attached to the motor vehicle. In one application, the structural element is a removable door frame having a molded-in channel which opens downwardly and is disposed above a door opening. The retainer member includes a first flange adapted to fixedly attach to a lateral edge of the top section of the soft top. The retainer member further includes a second flange for engaging the molded-in channel in an interference fit. The first flange laterally extends beyond the door of the vehicle to thereby shingle the door from condensation and rain which may gather on the soft top. In an alternative embodiment, the retainer member is configured to form a trough for carrying the condensation and rain rearward away from the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignees: Chrysler Corporation, Bestop, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael E. Hilliard, Kipp D. Owen, Mark G. Vervaeke, John F. Miller, John C. Wainwright, Robert L. Hart, Nancy L. Brunner